“Everybody to Kenmure Street” is a documentary primarily made by the people of Glasgow. Director Felipe Bustos Sierra’s film consists mostly of on-the-ground amateur footage shot by the participants of an impromptu protest in May 2021, when a U.K. Home Office raid sparked one of the most spontaneous and successful acts of civil resistance in recent memory. It’s a wonderful time capsule of a time when neighbors stood up to authority figures and shouted “enough is enough!”
Set in Scotland’s most diverse neighborhood, the film chronicles how hundreds of residents (most of them strangers to one another) dropped everything the moment they heard that two local men in their community had been detained for deportation. People flooded Kenmure Street and quite literally put their bodies on the line in an act of defiance. With almost no planning, this wildly diverse crowd self-organized in real time, taking on roles, watching out for one another, and collectively standing between their neighbors and the machinery of the state. T
One of the film’s most striking choices is its use of footage filmed by normal citizens, in real time, as the protest unfolded. Phones were out everywhere, capturing events as they happened. The documentary stitches these videos together to create a fully immersive viewing experience. You don’t just watch the protest, but you feel like you’re inside it. This approach can feel repetitive at times, but the repetition mirrors the reality of the moment and only reinforces how organically and powerfully the resistance built itself.
Sierra has many participants speak directly to the camera, grounding the story in lived experience rather than commentary from a distance. For those whose identities needed protection to avoid prosecution (most memorably the “van man” who slid beneath the Immigration Enforcement vehicle and wrapped his arm around its axle), the filmmakers make a bold and inspired choice to cast celebrities in their roles. Some of the U.K.’s most beloved actors recite these testimonies, each introduced with the same preface: “This isn’t my face, but these are my words.” It’s a simple device that proves to be not only brilliant, but also a moving method of preserving anonymity.
“Everybody to Kenmure Street” is an inspiring reminder of what ordinary people are capable of when confronted with injustice. Watching the moment when community, solidarity, and moral clarity come together to protect two men who were strangers is profoundly moving, but also inspiring. The documentary makes a case that collective action and the refusal to stay silent is the backbone of resistance, and it shows what can be achieved when we stand together. Power to the people indeed.
By: Louisa Moore
Screen Zealots 